Biography
Sue & Sunny formed a British vocal duo active throughout the 1960s and into the early 1970s. The sisters, born Yvonne Wheatman and Heather Wheatman in Madras, India, issued many sides both under their own billing and alongside other performers while also contributing to studio groups such as the Brotherhood of Man and Edison Lighthouse. Their initial joint session occurred in 1963 on the Oriole label, where they appeared as the Myrtelles delivering a version of Lesley Gore’s “Just Let Me Cry.” Subsequent releases found them credited as the Stockingtops and as Sue & Sunshine. After several seasons performing cabaret—during which the younger sister Sunny remained in her mid-teens—they relocated to Germany, entertained at military bases, and issued several German-language singles. Their profile rose when Lesley Duncan sought backing vocalists; the results proved so striking that Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones, and additional artists soon requested their services. The pivotal moment arrived when they supplied harmonies for Joe Cocker’s recording of “With a Little Help from My Friends.” They also appeared on Elton John’s Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across the Water and supported Love Affair, Lulu, Mott the Hoople, and T. Rex. Their televised performance with Cocker on Top of the Pops further elevated their standing, even though no single released under the Sue & Sunny name ever reached the charts. Session offers multiplied, drawing in Frank Zappa, Giorgio Moroder, and James Last. Much of their activity centered on manager-producer Tony Macaulay and the songwriting-production team of Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway, for whom they backed such studio-assembled acts as the Brotherhood of Man and Edison Lighthouse. By the early 1970s the sisters chose to pursue individual careers, each achieving a measure of solo recognition that had eluded the duo. Occasional joint session work continued into the 1980s and afterward, yet their official recordings as Sue & Sunny concluded at the decade’s outset.
Albums